Delivering rich, Web 2.0-style experiences has never been easier. This book gives you a complete hands-on introduction to Microsoft ASP.NET AJAX 1.0, the new framework that offers many of the same benefits for Ajax development that ASP.NET provides for server-side development. With Programming ASP.NET AJAX, you'll learn how to create professional, dynamic web pages with Ajax in no time.

Loaded with code and examples that demonstrate key aspects of the framework, this book is ideal not only for ASP.NET developers who want to take their applications a step further with Ajax, but for any web developers interested in ASP.NET AJAX, no matter what technology they use currently. That includes JavaScript programmers who would like to avoid the headaches of writing cross-browser code.

Programming ASP.NET AJAX offers you:

A high-level overview of the ASP.NET AJAX framework

Functional code that you can cut and paste for use in your own applications

The essentials of JavaScript and Ajax to help you understand individual technologies used by the framework

An organization that reflects the framework's packages, including Extensions, Control Toolkit, the Futures CTP, and the AJAX Library

Sidebars throughout the book that identify and propose solutions to potential security breaches

Ways to use the standards-based AJAX Library with other platforms, such as PHP

A complete chapter on the UpdatePanel control for making individual parts of a web page independently updateable -- one of the framework's most important elements

Released previously as Programming Atlas to cover the beta version of the Microsoft framework, this edition is fully up-to-date and expanded for the official 1.0 release of ASP.NET AJAX. Written by Christian Wenz -- Microsoft MVP for ASP/ASP.NET and AJAX Control Toolkit Contributor -- Programming ASP.NET AJAX contains many hard-to-find details, along with a few unofficial ways to accomplish things.

Basics

Chapter 1 ASP.NET AJAX, Ajax, and ASP.NET

ASP.NET AJAX and Ajax

ASP.NET AJAX and ASP.NET

ASP.NET AJAX Prerequisites and Installation

ASP.NET AJAX Structure and Architecture

A First ASP.NET AJAX Example: Hello User

The ScriptManager Control

Summary

For Further Reading

Chapter 2 JavaScript

The JavaScript Language

Object-Oriented Programming (OOP)

Accessing Page Elements

DOM Methods

Summary

For Further Reading

Chapter 3 Ajax

The XMLHttpRequest Object

The XMLDocument Object

JSON

Summary

For Further Reading

ASP.NET AJAX Extensions

Chapter 4 Using ASP.NET AJAX JavaScript Extensions

ASP.NET AJAX Shortcuts and Helper Functions

Extensions to Existing JavaScript Objects

ASP.NET AJAX OOP Features for JavaScript

Client Versions of .NET Classes

Summary

For Further Reading

Chapter 5 Web Services

Error Handling

Page Methods

Maintaining Session State

Exchanging Complex Data with the Server

Consuming Web Services with JavaScript

Summary

For Further Reading

Chapter 6 UpdatePanel: Refreshing Only Parts of a Page

Making a Page Region Updatable

Summary

For Further Reading

Chapter 7 Using the ASP.NET AJAX Profile Service

Preparing the Web Site

Accessing Profile Data

Accessing Profile Group Data

Summary

For Further Reading

Chapter 8 Using the ASP.NET AJAX Authentication Service

Preparing the Application

Login and Logout

Summary

For Further Reading

Chapter 9 Localizing and Globalizing Applications

Localization

Globalization and Internationalization

Summary

For Further Reading

ASP.NET AJAX Control Toolkit

Chapter 10 Using the Control Toolkit

Installing the Control Toolkit

Using the Control Toolkit

Summary

For Further Reading

Chapter 11 Adding Animation to a Web Page

Animation Framework

Drag-and-Drop

Summary

For Further Reading

Chapter 12 Autocompleting User Input, Fighting Spam, and More

Creating an Accordion Pane

Maintaining the Relative Position of an Element

Adding Autocomplete Behavior to a TextBox Control

Attaching a Calendar to a Text Field

Dynamically Collapsing a Single Panel

Displaying a Pop Up Over a Page

Fighting Spam in Blogs and in Other Entry Forms

Creating a Tabbed Interface

Summary

For Further Reading

Chapter 13 Writing Custom Controls and Contributing to the Community

Writing Custom ASP.NET AJAX Controls

Contributing to the Control Toolkit

Summary

For Further Reading

ASP.NET AJAX Futures

Chapter 14 Client Controls

Introducing ASP.NET AJAX Client Controls

Using ASP.NET AJAX Controls

Handling Control Events

Summary

For Further Reading

Chapter 15 Binding and Validating Data

Data Binding

Data Validation

Summary

For Further Reading

Chapter 16 Using Behaviors and Components

Using Behaviors

Using Components

Summary

For Further Reading

Chapter 17 Using Server Data

Using a ListView Control

Creating a Custom Data Source

Summary

For Further Reading

Chapter 18 Using Remote Web Services

Using the Google Web Service

Using the Amazon Web Service

Transforming a Web Service Result with XSLT

Using the Yahoo! Web Service (and REST and XPath)

Summary

For Further Reading

Chapter 19 Using Animations

Using Animations

Using an Animation to Create a Fade Effect

Summary

For Further Reading

Chapter 20 Fixing Bookmarks and Back/Forward Buttons

Fixing with Code

Fixing Bookmarks and Back/Forward Buttons with Controls Using UpdateHistory

Fixing Bookmarks and Back/Forward Buttons with Controls Using the ASP.NET AJAX Futures

Christian Wenz

Christian Wenz is an author, trainer, and consultant. His main focus of working and writing is on web technologies and security. Christian has written or co-written over 100 books for various publishers. He works with both open source and closed source web technologies. This leads to the unusual situation that he has both been awarded a Microsoft MVP for ASP/ASP.NET and is listed in Zend's Who is Who of PHP. He is also listed in Mozilla's credits (about:credits) and is considered an expert in browser-agnostic JavaScript.

Apart from writing and working on web projects, Christian also frequently speaks at developer conferences around the globe that cover web technologies. Among them are 2005's Microsoft Tech Ed Europe conference (BOF session) and all editions of Zend Conference so far.

The animal on the cover of Programming Atlas is a black murex snail shell(hexaplex nigritus). The black murex is found off the coast of Californiaand Mexico. As the black murex ages, its shell turns from white to predominatelyblack. However, pure white or black shells are very rare. Mature blackmurexes are about 6 inches (15 cm) long.Black murex snails are carnivorous gastropods. Their diet is composed ofbivalve mollusks, including oysters, clams, and sea anemone. Gastropodskill their prey by various means, including smothering, tearing, or boringinto the shell by using an acidic mucus to weaken the outside surface.The murex snail played a crucial role in the culture and trade of the ancientPhoenicians. They crushed the murex in order to extract a purple-red secretionused to dye fabric. It is estimated that some 10,000 snails were neededto dye one toga. As a result, only royalty could afford the precious dye forclothing. When the dye was combined with silk imported from China, thepurple garments were worth more than their weight in gold. Purple has sincebeen equated with royalty, but the red of papal robes and the blue in the flagof Israel are also derivative of murex snail dye.